Is there actually reason for optimism with the Fire?

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After back-to-back wins suddenly the doom and gloom surrounding the Chicago Fire has been lifted, at least for now.

The Fire played well in a 1-0 win against San Jose. That win came three days after beating Columbus in the U.S. Open Cup.

Granted, Columbus was short a couple key players due to injury and sat a couple more to rest them. Meanwhile, San Jose is so short on centerbacks that when coach Dominic Kinnear was asked about the team's injury problems, Kinnear jokingly asked the reporter if he could play centerback.

Still though, there was something about the Fire's play that showed genuine improvement from the early season games when the team struggled to put shots on goal, let alone get goals or wins. John Goossens nutmegged two players in the first half and scored the game-winning goal. Brazilian right back Rodrigo Ramos lived up to what Brazilian outside backs are known for, a flair on the ball and a desire to go forward at every opportunity.

“I think that’s the way you play when you’re having fun," Goossens said. "You’re doing your job and in the meantime you’re having fun. Rodrigo is a great player who can run 90 minutes and that makes it easier for me. When he’s coming, the defender has to make a decision what to do. Will he stay with me or go with Rodrigo? I think we have a great combination and we have to keep working on that to make it even better, to make it even more difficult for the opposing defenders.”

[RELATED: John Goossens scores first MLS goal in Fire win]

Ramos looked like he is playing with more confidence than he did earlier in the season. The 21-year-old lifted a ball over a defender's head to get around him and on another occasion flicked a ball with his back foot to draw a yellow card from Shaun Francis. In addition he delivered a number of crosses to give the Fire scoring chances.

“That’s one of my strengths, to be strong up top so I’m trying to use that to the team’s advantage," Ramos said through a translator. "The team is lacking assists so I’m hoping to give a lot of assists.”

[SHOP: Buy your Fire jersey here]

The way the season had gone before this week and how the past several years have gone, it's hard to believe multiple good things can line up for the Fire at once. Fire fans will be forgiven for cringing at the thought of optimism because they've been burned so much.

However, on face value, things are legitimately headed in a positive direction, which admittedly isn't tough for a team in last place. David Accam and Goossens are back from injury and producing. Arturo Alvarez and Matt Polster, both regulars in midfield when healthy, should be back from injury soon. Michael de Leeuw is set for his debut in the team's next match. As opposed to having a rail thin roster, which has struggled to fill out its bench due to injuries, coach Veljko Paunovic may now have some tough lineup selection decisions to make.

“We are getting there," Paunovic said. "I still believe there is a long way to go."

Of course, the standings still don't look good for the Fire. At 3-7-5, the Fire are tied for last in the league with Houston, and are six points out of the last playoff spot in the weaker Eastern Conference. This is one of the reasons why Paunovic was quick to emphasize the importance to keep the streak going in Toronto on July 9. That's a Toronto team which will be without injured Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Will Johnson and Clint Irwin.

"Next game we need another win and that’s our message now," Paunovic said. "We just started. We have to take advantage of this momentum, this great period we created in the last two games."

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